Issue Date: June 5, 2005
You're a couch potato? Some easy ways to move.
It's true: Some people are genetically programmed to get fat. A recent study from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine found some obese people have a predisposition to be couch potatoes.
"Some people have a genetic inclination to sit around a lot," says lead study author James Levine, M.D. "Genetics control our brain functions, and for these people one of those functions is an urge to be seated more, so they have a higher tendency to be obese. Fifty years ago, it didn't matter, because we had to move to function; today our calorie-burning opportunities have fizzled."
While strenuous exercise helps, Levine says, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, actually is the biggest factor in determining who's fat and who's not. That's the stuff you do when you're not even thinking about it, like fidgeting (vs. running on a treadmill).
The study used special fighter-jet technology with embedded sensors to monitor the tiniest movements of study participants 24 hours a day for 10 days. Half the group was lean, and half was mildly obese; none exercised. Turns out, the lean participants stood and moved for 2.5 more hours a day naturally. So, by just standing instead of sitting, most couch potatoes can burn 10% more calories. NEAT, indeed!
Contact Jorge Cruise, the author of "The 3-Hour Diet," at JorgeCruise.com.
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Easy non-exercises
In front of the TV
Stand while folding laundry.
At every commercial break, do a lap around the inside of your house.
Get up and dance to catchy tunes in commercials.
At the office
Stand, don't sit, while on the phone.
Call in your lunch order, but walk to pick it up instead of getting delivery.
Set a timer, work for 20 minutes solid, then walk around the office and stretch for a few minutes.
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